Georgie Swallow, a 28-year-old content creator from London, has shared her story of ignoring symptoms for months before being diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma.
At first, Swallow thought her symptoms—itchy legs, night sweats, and extreme tiredness—were just signs of stress and fatigue. She didn’t think much of them, but the condition worsened. The itching was so bad that she would scratch until her skin broke, which kept her awake at night. She saw her doctor, who initially thought it was caused by stress, allergies, or urticaria. However, no treatments helped.
As time passed, Swallow also noticed she was losing weight, experiencing constant exhaustion, and catching a lot of colds and flu. “I thought I was just overworked and pushing myself too hard,” she said.
After being off work for two weeks due to a severe flu, Swallow found a peach-sized lump in her neck. Even then, she didn’t think much of it. “I just never thought anything serious could be wrong with me,” she said. She was worried that she might be wasting the doctor’s time.
Swallow later learned that symptoms of lymphoma are often subtle, making the disease hard to detect early. “That’s why lymphoma is diagnosed so late. You can easily dismiss the symptoms as something else,” she said.
At 32, Swallow’s diagnosis had a devastating impact on her life. She faced early menopause and lost her fertility. “Losing my fertility before I had the chance to have children was tough,” she shared. “It’s hard to talk about menopause at any age, but especially when you’re 28 and have no one to relate to.”
Swallow now wants to raise awareness about the symptoms of lymphoma and menopause. She explains that mental health is a big issue in menopause. “Your mood changes, and you might feel like you’re having a nervous breakdown. Recognizing what’s happening makes it less stressful,” she said.
